Mathew Inness excelled in his initial years with Victoria and starred in his final season with Western Australia, in between building a reputation as a solid state performer. A left-arm fast bowler whose enthusiastic run-up was more sprint than jog, Inness spent several seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s as one of Victoria's best in an attack that boasted a long list of excellent bowlers. Passionate and unassuming, the ginger-haired Inness represented his state at both cricket and Australian rules football at schoolboy level before he ultimately opted to concentrate on bowling. Other players might have been content to rest on their laurels following a spectacular first-class debut in 1997-98 against New South Wales, when he claimed the wickets of three international players and featured in two match-saving partnerships. Instead, he continued to work hard at his game and in 1999-2000 produced a sensational hat-trick against New South Wales and claimed 31 wickets from his nine games. He complemented that performance with more of the same the following year, claiming 43 victims at moderate cost and again playing a central role as the team qualified for the Pura Cup final. Injuries ultimately curbed his effectiveness in 2001-02, but not before he had made another fine start to the season, netting 31 wickets in his seven first-class games.

Things became harder following a bout of glandular fever in 2003-04 and despite a haul of 20 wickets, he was left out of the successful side for the Pura Cup final. He asked for a release but it was two years before the Bushrangers would let him go. Inness was hoping to resurrect his career with the switch to Western Australia for 2005-06, but he did not have enough impact in his handful of games and was overlooked completely the following season. Unexpectedly, a rejuvenated Inness bounced back in 2007-08 and was the Warriors' leading Pura Cup wicket taker with 40 victims at 20.12 from his nine outings. Even more surprisingly, he promptly quit the game at the age of 30, while still on a high. Throughout his career, Inness stayed busy away from the game, studying a post-graduate degree in sports science and operating a personal training business. When he retired at the end of 2007-08 he was appointed as Western Australia's strength and conditioning co-ordinator.Cricinfo staff September 2008

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